About us

PDVAC is an independent standing WHO committee of experts which provides external advice to WHO related to priority infectious disease pathogens, associated vaccine and monoclonal antibody product development approaches and related manufacturing and delivery technologies. The committee’s remit covers disease areas where there is, or may be, substantial disease burden in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where no vaccine related products currently exist, but where there is ongoing product development activity which may benefit from WHO guidance, or technologies that could expedite availability and access of vaccine products in LMICs. PDVAC may also have a role where vaccines are already licensed, and development of improved products, including those based on novel manufacturing technologies or innovative vaccine delivery approaches is a priority for WHO and its member states.

PDVAC’s mission is to accelerate product development of vaccines and technologies that are urgently needed and ensure they are appropriately targeted for use in low and middle income contexts.

The majority of PDVAC’s scope of work focuses on the following core activities:

• Identifying priority pathogens and technologies where there is evident public health need for a vaccine, and defining how WHO engagement would result in a clear benefit related to product development;
• Defining the strategic public health goals and global value proposition for vaccines and technologies, in the context of other disease interventions and competing R&D priorities (including the development of products that are targeted to high income country markets);
• Developing the preferred product characteristics of vaccines, specifically from the perspective of LMICs, with the goal of informing target product profiles to accelerate product development and reduce the timeframe to access of vaccines in LMIC contexts;
• Developing technical R&D roadmaps for vaccines and technologies that articulate the research, product development and capacity needs, and proactively position a candidate for LMIC licensure and a positive policy recommendation;
• Building consensus among global stakeholders, particularly with respect to product development strategy, including clinical endpoints and regulatory pathways;
• Educating vaccine developers and other stakeholders with respect to the specific data needs for vaccine approval and uptake in LMICs, and advocating for these to be considered early on in product development.